View source for Pasadena Short Line

{{short description|Pacific Electric streetcar line (1894–1951)}}
{{use mdy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox rail line
|name            = Pasadena Short Line 
|image           = File:PE Mag 1925 03 Mar 10 Pasadena.jpg
|image_width     = 280px
|caption         = 
|color           = {{rcr|Pacific Electric|Pasadena Short Line}}
|type            = [[Light rail]]
|system          = [[Pacific Electric]]
|locale          = [[Southern California]]
|start           = [[Pacific Electric Building]]
|end             = [[Downtown Pasadena, California|Downtown Pasadena]]
|stations        = 14
|routes          = 
|daily_ridership = 7,693 (last counting)
|open            = 1894 (Pasadena & Los Angeles Electric Railway)<br />1902 (Pacific Electric)
|close           = September 30, 1951
|owner           = [[Southern Pacific Railroad]]
|operator        = [[Pacific Electric]]
|character       = 
|stock           = PE 5050 Class (last used)
|linelength_mi   = 11.6
|tracklength     = 
|tracks          = 
|gauge           = {{RailGauge|sg|allk=on}}
|old_gauge       = [[narrow gauge]]
|electrification = {{600 V DC|conductor=overhead}}
|speed           = 
|elevation       = 
|map             = {{PE N Pasadena Short Line}}
}}
'''The Pasadena Short Line''' was a passenger railway line of the [[Pacific Electric Railway]]. It ran between [[Downtown Los Angeles]] and Downtown [[Pasadena, California]], through [[Eastside Los Angeles]] along the foot of the eastern [[San Rafael Hills]] to the western [[San Gabriel Valley]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bigmapblog.com/2011/us40-2-los-angeles-california-rail-systems-1906/ |title=Bigmapblog.com: "Map of Los Angeles, California Rail Systems (1906)"]|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160825160830/http://www.bigmapblog.com/2011/us40-2-los-angeles-california-rail-systems-1906/ |archive-date=2016-08-25 }} with Pasadena Short Line labeled.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bigmapblog.com/maps/map05/tt/UHYCvctoGOZUeuag_TT.jpg |title=Bigmapblog.com: "Pacific Electric map of Los Angeles (1920)" |access-date=2016-08-31 |archive-date=2018-12-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181210135450/http://www.bigmapblog.com/maps/map05/tt/UHYCvctoGOZUeuag_TT.jpg |url-status=dead }}</ref> It was in service under the company between 1902 until 1951, though it had operated under different companies back to its beginnings as a [[horsecar]] line. The route, designated by the company as line 2, was the key component of the company's Northern Subdivision.<ref name=Veysey48 />

==History==
[[File:Fair Oaks Avenue ca1890.jpg|thumb|left|Fair Oaks Avenue in Pasadena looking south from Colorado Boulevard, [[horsecar]] approaching at center frame, {{circa|1889}}.]]
The route began as a [[horsecar]] line. In 1894, the [[Pasadena & Los Angeles Electric Railway]] purchased, [[gauge conversion|re-gauged]], electrified, and double-tracked a section of the line for streetcar use.<ref name=ERHA /> Service began on May&nbsp;6, 1895.<ref>{{cite news |title=The New Line. |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/114437604/ |access-date=7 July 2023 |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |via=Newspapers.com |date=May 7, 1895 |page=10}} {{free access}}</ref> Pacific Electric acquired the route in 1898. The line was again rebuilt to [[standard gauge]] with service between Pasadena and Los Angeles beginning in December 1902.<ref name=Hilton>{{harvnb|Hilton|Due|2000|p=409}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Broad-gauge cars to traverse city |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114541931/ |access-date=13 December 2022 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |via=Newspapers.com |date=December 4, 1902 |page=7}} {{free access}}</ref> Negotiations to cross the existing roads&nbsp;— the [[Santa Fe Railway]], Terminal Railway, and [[California Cycleway]]&nbsp;— led Pacific Electric to build a bridge over the right of ways shortly after their service commenced. In 1908, double tracking was completed throughout.<ref name=ERHA />

Peak service frequency was likely reached around 1917 or 1918, with 90 trains operating daily in each direction.<ref name=Veysey48>{{Harvnb|Veysey|1958|p=48}}</ref> Two years later, Pacific Electric had cut that number to 59. Starting November 1926, some morning rush hour trains originated at Mariposa and Lake in [[Altadena]]. Service reductions continued throughout the late 1920s and 1930s. A complimenting outbound trip to Altadena began in 1938. Minor reroutes near the line's terminals occurred in 1940 and a reroute to accommodate the rebuild of the Aliso Street bridge also began that year, lasting until 1943.<ref name=Veysey49 />

The Altadena runs ended in January 1941.<ref name=Veysey49 /> The line was rerouted to no longer serve the [[Pacific Electric Building]] in 1942 as buses had begun operating from the street-level concourse there. Cars thereafter loop around via San Pedro, Sixth, Main, First, and Los Angeles except on New Years Day to serve the [[Tournament of Roses]] until 1947 when they began serving the elevated concourse.<ref name=Veysey49 /> One-man operation of cars began on October&nbsp;22, 1950. The last trains ran over the line in the early morning of September&nbsp;30, 1951, at the end of service from the previous day.<ref name=Hilton /><ref name=ERHA>{{cite web |title=Pasadena Short Line |url=http://www.erha.org/pensl.htm |publisher=Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California |accessdate=20 September 2020}}</ref><ref name=Veysey49 /> A [[railfan]] excursion run after normal service that day became the last trip via electric railway between Los Angeles and Pasadena until the construction of the [[Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] [[L Line (Los Angeles Metro)|Gold Line]] in the early 2000s.<ref name=Veysey49>{{Harvnb|Veysey|1958|p=49}}</ref> Service was promptly replaced by buses.<ref>{{cite news |title=PE Trolley Lines Yielded to Buses |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/96222316/ |access-date=23 February 2022 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |via=Newspapers.com |date=September 30, 1951 |page=26}} {{free access}}</ref>

Caltrans noted that all tracks had been removed along the route by 1981.

==Route==
The Pasadena Short Line followed the [[Monrovia–Glendora Line]] (Huntington Drive) to Fair Oaks Avenue in South Pasadena (Oneonta Junction). Here, the line branched north along [[Double-track railway|double tracks]] [[street running|in the pavement]] of Fair Oaks Avenue to [[California Boulevard]]. It then ran east one block on California Boulevard to Raymond Avenue and then north in the pavement of Raymond Avenue, past Colorado Street several blocks to the North Fair Oaks Carhouse (Located between Raymond and Fair Oaks Avenues). It then exited out the west side of the Carhouse on to Fair Oaks Avenue for its return trip. The Raymond Avenue track was abandoned in 1940 and Fair Oaks Avenue was used in both directions thereafter.

==List of major stations==
{| class="wikitable"
! Station
! Mile<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wx4.org/to/foam/sp/maps/and_timetables/1934-09-01PEsystemPTT.pdf |title=Pacific Electric Time Tables |date=September 1, 1934 |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |publisher=Pacific Electric |website=wx4's Dome of Foam |access-date=September 1, 2021 |page=12}}</ref>
! Major connections
! Date opened
! Date closed
! City
|-bgcolor = #{{rcr|Pacific Electric}}
|colspan = "6"|
|-
| Pasadena
| 11.64
| [[East California Line|East California]], [[East Orange Grove Line|East Orange Grove]], [[East Washington Line|East Washington]], [[Lamanda Park Line|Lamanda Park]], [[Lincoln Line|Lincoln]], [[Mount Lowe Railway|Mount Lowe]], [[North Fair Oaks Line|North Fair Oaks]], [[North Lake Line|North Lake]], [[Pasadena via Oak Knoll Line|Pasadena via Oak Knoll]], [[South Pasadena Local]], [[West California Line|West California]], [[West Colorado and Orange Grove Line|West Colorado and Orange Grove]]
| 1902
| 1951
| rowspan=1 | [[Pasadena, California|Pasadena]]
|-
| South Pasadena
|
| [[Mount Lowe Railway]], [[South Pasadena Local]]
| 1902
| 1951
| rowspan=2 | [[South Pasadena, California|South Pasadena]]
|-
| Oneonta Park
| 8.56
| [[Monrovia–Glendora Line|Monrovia–Glendora]], [[Mount Lowe Railway|Mount Lowe]], [[Pasadena via Oak Knoll Line|Pasadena via Oak Knoll]], [[Shorb Line|Shorb]], [[Sierra Madre Line|Sierra Madre]]
| 1901
| 1951
|-
| Sierra Vista
| 7.65
| [[Alhambra–San Gabriel Line|Alhambra–San Gabriel]], [[Monrovia–Glendora Line|Monrovia–Glendora]], [[Mount Lowe Railway|Mount Lowe]], [[Pasadena via Oak Knoll Line|Pasadena via Oak Knoll]], [[Shorb Line|Shorb]], [[Sierra Madre Line|Sierra Madre]]
| 1901
| 1951
| rowspan=1 | [[Alhambra, California|Alhambra]]
|-
| Covina Junction<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R2oEAAAAYAAJ&q=Covina+and+Junction&pg=PA306  |title=California Appellate Decisions, Volume 34 |pages=306–307 |editor=Whting |date=1921}} {{cite court |litigants=Richard Lammers vs. Pacific Electric Railway Company |court=District Courts of Appeal of the State of California}} Case 3652.</ref> 
| 3.37
| [[Alhambra–San Gabriel Line|Alhambra–San Gabriel]], [[Monrovia–Glendora Line|Monrovia–Glendora]], [[Mount Lowe Railway|Mount Lowe]], [[Pasadena via Oak Knoll Line|Pasadena via Oak Knoll]], [[Pomona Line|Pomona]], [[Riverside–Rialto Line|Riverside–Rialto]], [[Sierra Madre Line|Sierra Madre]], [[Upland–San Bernardino Line|Upland–San Bernardino]]
| 1901
| 1951
| rowspan=3 | Los Angeles
|-
| Echandia Junction
| 
| [[Alhambra–San Gabriel Line|Alhambra–San Gabriel]], [[Annandale Line|Annandale]], [[Monrovia–Glendora Line|Monrovia–Glendora]], [[Mount Lowe Railway|Mount Lowe]], [[Pasadena via Oak Knoll Line|Pasadena via Oak Knoll]], [[Pomona Line|Pomona]], [[Riverside–Rialto Line|Riverside–Rialto]], [[Sierra Madre Line|Sierra Madre]], [[South Pasadena Local]], [[Upland–San Bernardino Line|Upland–San Bernardino]]
| 1895
| 
|-
| [[Pacific Electric Building]]
| 0
| [[Alhambra–San Gabriel Line|Alhambra–San Gabriel]], [[Annandale Line|Annandale]], [[Balboa Line|Balboa]], [[Fullerton Line|Fullerton]], [[Hawthorne–El Segundo Line|Hawthorne–El Segundo]], [[La Habra–Yorba Linda Line|La Habra–Yorba Linda]], [[Long Beach Line|Long Beach]], [[Monrovia–Glendora Line|Monrovia–Glendora]], [[Mount Lowe Railway|Mount Lowe]], [[Pasadena via Oak Knoll Line|Pasadena via Oak Knoll]], [[Pomona Line|Pomona]], [[Riverside–Rialto Line|Riverside–Rialto]], [[San Pedro via Dominguez Line|San Pedro via Dominguez]], [[San Pedro via Gardena Line|San Pedro via Gardena]], [[Santa Ana Line|Santa Ana]], [[Santa Monica Air Line]], [[Sierra Madre Line|Sierra Madre]], [[Sawtelle Veterans Home|Soldiers' Home]], [[South Pasadena Local]], [[Whittier Line|Whittier]]<br />[[Los Angeles Railway]] [[B (Los Angeles Railway)|B]], [[H (Los Angeles Railway)|H]], [[J (Los Angeles Railway)|J]], [[R (Los Angeles Railway)|R]], [[7 (Los Angeles Railway)|7]], and [[8 (Los Angeles Railway)|8]]
| 1905
| 1961
|-bgcolor = #{{rcr|Pacific Electric}}
|colspan = "6"|
|}

==Southern Pacific depot service==
{{PE N LASP to PasadenaSP|collapse=y}}
Starting on May&nbsp;1, 1912, some trips along the line began originating at the [[Arcade Depot|Los Angeles Southern Pacific station]] or the Pasadena [[Southern Pacific Transportation Company|Southern Pacific]] station. This allowed Southern Pacific to discontinue passenger service along their Pasadena Branch.<ref>{{cite news |title=S.P. Pasadena Trains Give Way to Trolley |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/los-angeles-evening-express-sp-pasaden/151261352/ |access-date=13 July 2024 |newspaper=Los Angeles Express |via=Newspapers.com |date=May 1, 1912 |location=Los Angeles, California |page=23}} {{free access}}</ref> The Pasadena SP station was closed in 1927, thus the terminus was moved to the Pacific Electric Depot on Raymond Avenue. By August&nbsp;11, 1932, frequency had been reduced to a single daily franchise car and the service was entirely eliminated on July&nbsp;30 the following year.<ref name=Veysey13>{{Harvnb|Veysey|1958|pp=85–86}}</ref>

==References==
{{Free-content attribution|
| title = 1981 Inventory of Pacific Electric Routes
| author = [[California Department of Transportation]]
| publisher = 
| source= [[Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority]]
| documentURL = http://libraryarchives.metro.net/DPGTL/pacificelectric/1981-caltrans-inventory-of-routes.pdf
| License statement URL = https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:PD-CAGov
| license = the [[public domain]] as a work of the [[State of California]].
}}
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
{{refbegin}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Hilton |first1=George W. |title=The Electric Interurban Railways in America |last2=Due |first2=John F. |publisher=[[Stanford University Press]] |year=2000 |isbn=0-8047-4014-3 |location=[[Stanford, California]] |orig-year=1960 }}
* {{Veysey-PE-1958}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Attached KML |display=title,inline}}

{{Pacific Electric Railway|state=collapsed}}
{{Los Angeles County, California}}

[[Category:Pacific Electric routes]]
[[Category:History of Pasadena, California]]
[[Category:History of Los Angeles County, California]]
[[Category:Light rail in California]]
[[Category:Alhambra, California]]
[[Category:Eastside Los Angeles]]
[[Category:El Sereno, Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles]]
[[Category:South Pasadena, California]]
[[Category:Transportation in Pasadena, California]]
[[Category:Railway services introduced in 1902]]
[[Category:Railway services discontinued in 1951]]
[[Category:1902 establishments in California]]
[[Category:1951 disestablishments in California]]
[[Category:20th century in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Closed railway lines in the United States]]